#9 - Camellia and Geordie's Botanical Haven

To create a space that is personal. I've moved every few years my whole life and enjoy making a new dwelling feel like home using colorful accents. I also use color to make a space feel open and comfortable; I love white walls and lots of light, but adding color can actually make a space feel larger.

2 good color tips:

1. If you use whites, creams, and natural materials (unbleached cotton or wool, pottery with clear glazes, woods with all different finishes) for your canvas, you can encorporate more colors without overwhelming the space. By using textiles, plants, artwork and objects to add color, you can allow your palette more freedom to change and evolve over time than if you start out by painting the whole room a strong color.

2. You can create continuity in a mixed palette by echoing shapes and textures, not just hues. For example, the orange stripe in the bedspread echos the orange stripe in the small Margot Thompson painting, while the texture of the plant on the wooden dresser echoes the black texture in the same painting.

2. Mediterranean tiles. Much of the color in this room comes from the palette used in our Ketuba (Jewish marriage contract, hanging over our dresser), which was calligraphed by my mother-in-law with a border taken from a book of Persian tiles.